There is a story line that has become increasingly common on NASCAR’s Cup tour in 2010. Teammates racing each other hard, having an on-track incident, and not being happy about it after the fact.

The lack of love lost between drivers in the same stable has boiled over and the public has seen the steam.

Jimmie Johnson did not raise his status on Jeff Gordon’s Christmas card list after the pair rubbed each other the wrong way during the April race in Texas. The Hendrick Motorsports duo ran each other close causing a tire problem on the Johnson machine.

A few weeks later at Talladega Johnson put a block on Gordon. The following traffic jam and accordion effect of slowing cars caused a crash with Gordon being collected. Gordon was upset after the race and let it be known during his broadcast interview.

There is a story line that has become increasingly common on NASCAR’s Cup tour in 2010. Teammates racing each other hard, having an on-track incident, and not being happy about it after the fact.

The lack of love lost between drivers in the same stable has boiled over and the public has seen the steam.

Jimmie Johnson did not raise his status on Jeff Gordon’s Christmas card list after the pair rubbed each other the wrong way during the April race in Texas. The Hendrick Motorsports duo ran each other close causing a tire problem on the Johnson machine.

A few weeks later at Talladega Johnson put a block on Gordon. The following traffic jam and accordion effect of slowing cars caused a crash with Gordon being collected. Gordon was upset after the race and let it be known during his broadcast interview.

“The 48 (Johnson) is testing my patience I can tell you that,” said Gordon. “It takes a lot to make me mad and I am pissed right now. I don’t know what it is with me and him right now.”

A.J. Allmendinger threw the block to Kasey Kahne on the final lap at Pocono just two races ago. Kahne wound up in the infield grass before shooting back across traffic and triggering a multi-car pileup. Some friction between the Richard Petty Motorsports drivers was apparent with Kahne’s post-race remarks.

“I don’t talk to A.J. hardly ever. I doubt I am going to talk to him about this” Kahne said.

Red Bull Racing’s Casey Mears and Scott Speed tangled last Sunday at Michigan. Although both were running in the rear of the pack, Mears’ car loosened up while attempting to overtake Speed on the inside lane. He corrected after making contact with Speed and sent his teammate into a spin.

Speed fired off his own verbal shots at Mears, criticizing his lack of success in spite of formerly holding rides with Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Mears has also driven for Chip Ganassi.

The current trend is not limited to just NASCAR. Andretti Autosport Indycar driver Tony Kanaan was not happy with a blocking maneuver put on him by teammate Danica Patrick at that circuit’s recent event in Texas. And Formula One Teammates Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel crashed while battling for position at the Turkish Grand Prix two weeks ago.

The signs on the front of the race shops indicate one team on the outside. The mounting tensions displayed after the on-track action indicates some division within the camp.

The teammate and family-style relationships spoken about during well-prepared press statements have good intentions. The emotional and raw honesty shown in driver’s interviews may be giving us a glimpse of what life is really like on some teams.

Are drivers saying things they would have rather taken back? Or are we seeing the real relationships between teammates?

(Patrick Reynolds is a former NASCAR mechanic and the host of "Motorweek Live" Thursdays at 9pm ET. Listen at www.racersreunion.com )

Kurt Busch won the spring Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second year in a row. He did it with a new crew chief, but the same car owner. Roger Penske strolled to victory lane on a day when the influence of single-seat and open cockpit racing became evident at the finish.

Kurt Busch won the spring Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second year in a row. He did it with a new crew chief, but the same car owner. Roger Penske strolled to victory lane on a day when the influence of single-seat and open cockpit racing became evident at the finish.

Penske, or "The Captain" as he is known around racing circuits, is synonymous with motorsports success. He has many owner trophies from NASCAR and even more from various Indycar-style series.

The titles of the United States Auto Club’s Indianapolis cars, Championship Auto Racing Teams, and the Indy Racing League, have all fallen to Penske teams over the years. His 15 Indy 500 wins are unprecedented. But this is not the only open-wheel personality to shine in Atlanta.

Juan Pablo Montoya finished third. He has won the CART championship, seven Formula 1 races including Monaco and the Indianapolis 500 as well.

Montoya’s NASCAR car owner is Chip Ganassi. The pair was together for those Indy and CART title drives. Ganassi captured the 2009 IRL championship with driver Dario Franchitti and was a CART series driver himself back in the 1980s.

Paul Menard finished an outstanding fifth place. His father John Menard is the owner of the large Menard’s Midwest Home Improvement chain. The elder Menard was a long time Indianapolis car owner both with CART and the IRL.

Sixth finisher A.J. Allmendinger was a strong contender for the Champ Car title in 2006. Coming up through a road racing background and winning Champ Car’s 2004 rookie of the year award, Allmendinger claimed five victories in 2006 and was one of the few drivers to challenge Sebastian Bourdais for the championship. In 2007 Bourdais ventured to Formula 1 and Allmendinger to NASCAR.

Red Bull Racing had cars finishing seventh and tenth with Brian Vickers and Scott Speed. Austria-based Red Bull is well known for its involvement in European motorsports and in particular Formula 1. Its full time Cup effort in 2007 was one of the last few racing series they had not already been involved in.

And Speed was a full-time F1 driver during 2006 and 2007. His first start in that series was in 2005, becoming the first American since Michael Andretti in 1993 the drive there. But a lack of success and no points scored caused Scuderia Toro Rosso to release Speed. A relationship with Red Bull found a place in American stock car racing in 2008 for Speed.

An exciting NASCAR Cup race was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But it definitely had a feel influenced by Indycar and Formula 1 circuits. In all the stories about dark clouds hovering over NASCAR, this does tell a story of how healthy the sport is when drivers are leaving other powerful tours and heading for America’s top stock car series.

(Patrick Reynolds is a former NASCAR mechanic who co-hosts the One and Done auto racing radio talk show Tuesdays at 11am ET. Listen at www.wsicweb.com.)

]]>http://www.allleftturns.com/open-wheel-power-shines-atlanta/feed/0Scott Speed Just Breathed A Small Sigh of Reliefhttp://www.allleftturns.com/scott-speed-just-breathed-small-sigh-relief/
http://www.allleftturns.com/scott-speed-just-breathed-small-sigh-relief/#commentsWed, 08 Apr 2009 20:57:49 +0000StephenEarnhardt Ganassi Racing has parked the No. 8 car driven by Aric Almirola (left). The car and Almirola, currently 37th in the overall standings, will remain sidelined until a sponsor is lined up ... or for a long time.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing has parked the No. 8 car driven by Aric Almirola (above). The car and Almirola, currently 37th in the overall standings, will remain sidelined until a sponsor is lined up … or for a long time.

There is, perhaps, one person who takes cold comfort in this news. Scott Speed, currently 38th in owner points, now only needs to claw his way past two other drivers, not three, for a coveted spot in the top 35.